SOMA-ch to love
Lucy Wells, who is an October 2016 Fellow and currently living in New York, writes about one of her favourite social enterprise products: a socially conscious and environmentally friendly water filter.
I recently watched an interview with Krysten Ritter on the ‘Late Late show with James Corden’. She told a story about how she’d been working so hard for the past year she’d tried to console a heartbroken girlfriend with a ‘new tune’. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Eighteen months after it was released.
The friend ended up feeling more sorry for her. A happy but unexpected outcome in terms of friend-cheering.
I feel a similar inevitability about this article.
When I first ordered SOMA, I thought I was a trend setter. Immediately I had the headline in mind ‘SOMA-ch to love’ — guffaw, that is hilarious. No one can have heard of this amazing social enterprise product!
So, here’s the article I was constructing in my mind:
Basic principle: Water filter
Why it’s social: Basically a BRITA water filter but profits go to CHARITY:water. Oh, and all products are sustainable and carbon offset etc — you can google it. (wow, it turns out top result for SOMA is lingerie, skip to second result DRINKsoma)
Why it’s ace: This thing is freaking beautiful. What? You want to look in my fridge that has no food in but leftover takeout and I’d normally feel ashamed — open up — here is my AMAZING water filter. I have never drunk so much water. Pour action. Handle feel. Water ingress flap softness.
ARGH — and did I mention how amazing their packaging is? Forget the ‘sh-whomph’ you get from a new phone coming out of its box — these guys have it. A little welcoming note, an immediate explanation about the impact of buying from them, plus a very easy step-by-step guide to getting my SOMA ready (including the potential benefits for my plants (which I obviously don’t have). Special — they made me feel special.
So, you know, I was a little hurt when I saw it whilst browsing in Bed, Bath and Beyond. IN THE STORE. And then, you know, Williams Sonoma. And then, Target. And then remarketing ads chased me around the internet for ‘SOMA filters’ from Amazon and others.
But then — I had a moment. Maybe we’re nearly there. Maybe we’re nearly at a point where sustainable, social, consumer choices are as readily available and closely priced as those that would hurt us AND they’re going mainstream.
WHOAH! Great, right?
If you want a water filter, get a SOMA. If you want any other product, take the time to check if there’s a SOMA version of it out there. It’s now so easy, there’s no excuse.
